August 17, 2000
Evidence of a 3800 year old alphabet and
language has been found on six global continents. Contents and grammar suggest a global human
culture thrived in antiquity.

Abstract

The proponents, Gary Vey and John McGovern,
document similar appearing and very old rock art in remote North America
(Gary Vey of ViewZone), Southeast Australia (John McGovern), the Negev
Desert (Dr. James Harris, BYU) and the Yemen site (University of Calgary
team at Marib, Bilqis).

The authors assert that they have recognized an
early alphabet and have obtained successful translations using a
Southern Semitic and old Thamudic dialect. This alphabet is identical to
ancient writing found in several other distant locations around the
globe and spans possibly 8000 years of use. The occurrence in Colorado
has been dated to 2800 BCE. In the Negev this alphabet has been
positively dated to 3500 BCE (before the current era). In southern
Australia, the alphabet is estimated to be at least 8000 years old. The
Yemeni archaeology site has just celebrated its 3000th Anniversary with
a ceremony held November 2000.

The language has been given the name "old Negev"
after the location of the alphabet's initial discovery and presumed
origins in the Sinai, lead by Harvard University. In Australia, this
alphabet has been termed the "Panaramitee Tradition", named after the
Panaranitee region of South Australia (The site of the worlds oldest
patina dating of petroglyphs. The oldest 43,100 BPE and youngest, at
same site, 1,500 BPE.).

In North America it has often been
misrepresented as Native American Indian sign language. The language and
grammar are now understood to be, at the very least, proto-Canaanite,
but possibly much more anticedent. While the letters appears to have
roots in common with early Egyptian and Hebrew, the petroglyphs
successfully translate to English using an old Hebrew dialect in all of
the known locations to date.

What's more, this occurs at periods of time
pre-dating our current understanding of Semitic culture. There is a
danger in representing the language as "old Negev" and "old Hebrew."
Evidence of the antiquity of this script in both America and Australia
suggest that this root language may pre-date that of old-Hebrew.

The author and his associates suggest using an
unbiased name, such as "the First Tongue," to avoid any presumptive
association with a specific people, nation or era. The content of the
translations, although not complete, suggest that a common culture and
vital religious belief system thrived in antiquity. But more scrutiny of
this language system, its content and occurrence around the globe is
indicated before any conclusions are possible.

How old is old?

In Australia there is evidence that this
language was carved into stone 8000 years ago. In America there are 2800
year old petroglyphs carved atop earlier, worn and weathered petroglyphs
in the same language -- repeating the latter inscriptions.

In Yemen, this alphabet was used in the way we
use Latin and Roman Numerals. The Temple at Bilqis is dedicated in such
a stone script. Dead languages do not change through time. The Bilqis
structure was built to be read, as it so happens, 3000 years after it
was covered and completely forgotten.

Photographic evidence is presented and on-going
translations are posted from the Expedition in May 2000. A discussion of
the evidence is welcomed.

THE ALPHABET

The Alphabet contains basic, distinct geometric
shapes, 22 in all (with some variations). Each shape or symbol has a
corresponding phonetic (sound) meaning. Earlier attempts at translation
failed because the alphabet was thought to have been proto-Arabic.
However, translations have successfully been made through an old Hebrew
dialect.

The symbols were originally found pecked in
stone. The stone surface is typically flat and has a dark patina of
oxidized minerals which is breached with a sharp object, removing small
chunks of the patina.

At the time of their creation, this method would
have revealed the contrasted, bright underlying layer of fresh stone.
This made petroglyphs an excellent and permanent medium for writing. The
pecked out symbols are often found in collections or arrangements that
can be mistaken for pictures or maps. These "ligatures" can be broken
down into discrete letters and phrases. Curiously, many of the ligatures
are made such that the word meaning is conveyed both phonetically (for
those that can read) and symbolically. A typical word or phrase will
have two or three symbols in length. The vowels, with rare exception,
are never written. The direction of flow and the grammar are explained
in detail in subsequent papers linked from this page.

A much clearer version of this alphabet can be
seen in the Yemen material at the bottom of this page. We see that
this alphabet was once beautifully made into a font, complete
with serif and sans-serif styles!

BACKGROUND DATA

The Expedition 1998 was undertaken as a way of
becoming familiar with petroglyphs. The four-corners area of Monument
Valley were documented, as well as Anasazi habitats never before filmed.
Special attention was given to the nature and style of the petroglyphs
and pictograms (painted on rock) of that area.

An attempt is made to translate some of the
symbols using the methods of LaVan Martineau, with limited success.

The Four-Corners, Anasazi Habitat (1998)

The Expedition visited the Hopi Reservation and
was allowed to document ancient petroglyphs, never before photographed,
and to explore the mythology and tradition of the oldest North American
habitat.

The Hopi Reservation (1998)

All of the visits to known American Indian sites
were in preparation for assessing the southeast Colorado petroglyphs,
which were meticulously documented in the feature, "The Picketwire
People," shown for the first time on ViewZone Magazine in 1998. At the
time, no similar alphabet was known.

The Picketwire People (1998)

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE

COLORADO, USA

We revisited the Colorado location in May of
2000 with higher resolution imaging and recording apparatus and
documented many new areas that were found to be excellent examples of
both ancient Hebrew language and culture. These images are currently
being shown on Viewzone Magazine.

The Colorado Documentation (2000)

Other Atrifacts recently translated.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Most recently, Viewzone received photographs
from a team in Australia who depicted similar petroglyphs of a much
older date (i.e. in excess of 1800 B.C.) These were examined and
translations of the material proved that it originated with the same
root culture and ascribed to the same rules of grammar and symbols.

Translation of these Australian panels, a style
known locally as Panaramitee Tradition, has been completed but the
complete results have been withheld at the request of the Australian
team. We provide some examples here. We hope to summarize all of the
translations in a later work.

Viewzone is currently planning an expedition to
the site and will shortly have more information to share.

The Australian Petroglyphs (2000) #1 and The
Australian Petroglyphs (2000) #2

NEGEV DESERT, ISRAEL

The Negev Desert has been explored by Dr. James
Harris, of BYU, who identified some of the grammar and structure of the
Middle-East petroglyphs and has described this alphabet as "old Negev."
His translations are reviewed in detail.

Update from Yemen: Translations.

On October 15, John McGovern, busy documenting
the First Tongue in Australia, located pictures of inscriptions from the
alleged Queen Sheba's archaeological site in Yemen. The language on the
wall, although stylized into a font, appears to be First Tongue.

Translations of a stone, partially buried in the
sand and unexcavated, are attempted HERE.

It is our belief that this ancient alphabet was
used much as Latin inscriptions and Roman Numeral dates are used on
contemporary dedication plaques. A dead language never changes and is
therefore constant through time.

Old temple uncovers Queen of Sheba

The Mahram Bilqis contains priceless documents,
artifacts from the time of the biblical queen.

September 13, 2000

TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian archaeologist
said on Tuesday that his team was slowly unravelling the secrets of a
3,000-year-old temple that may have belonged to the Queen of Sheba.
Half-buried under the sands of the southern Arabian desert in northern
Yemen, the Mahram Bilqis or Temple of the Moon God contains priceless
documents and artifacts from the time of the biblical queen.

The Yemeni government does not have control over
the various tribal groups that live in the country and who believe that
they own the land. The temple was a sacred site for pilgrims in Arabia
from around 1200 BC to to 550 AD, the time that fits with history's
record of the Queen of Sheba and her visit to King Solomon of Israel.

"To have such historical, religious and cultural
connection to one site is tremendous. Not often in archaeology do we
have that." Professor Bill Glanzman the project's director told Reuters.

The discovery and excavation of the temple began
in 1951 by the late American archaeologist Wendell Phillips. But it was
halted abruptly a year later because of political unrest. Work was
restarted in 1998 by the American Foundation for the Study of Man, a
nonprofit organisation that spearheads such projects.

Glanzman said the temple could become an "eighth
wonder of the world," attracting people from around the world. But
another expert disagrees. "This is the most optimistic of statements at
the moment, given the economic and political situation and the problem
of raising money for such things," said Edward Keall, senior curator of
Middle Eastern Archaeology at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

"I do not expect to see it in my lifetime," he
said. "As of the moment, the Yemeni government does not have control
over the various tribal groups that live in the country and who believe
that they own the land," Keall said.

But Glanzman tries to sell the importance of the
excavation, saying it is as important a discovery as the ruins of
Pompeii, the pyramids of Giza or the Acropolis. "The sanctuary is packed
with artifacts, pottery, artwork and inscriptions, opening a new door to
the ancient civilisations of southern Arabia," he said. Glanzman said
his team could be finished with the excavation within 15 years.